Episode 150: Who Do You Think You Are?

Do I think I’m an equal worker? I do, I really do. But I think there’s part of me that doesn’t think that…there’s part of me that thinks, Mmm, maybe I should get paid a little less - just a little.
— Stacey Vanek Smith
Photo by ronstik/iStock / Getty Images

Photo by ronstik/iStock / Getty Images

When you grow up with a man at the head of the household I think that’s a whole different dynamic than women...And so I do think that had a big impact on me.
— Denise Barreto

Lack of confidence is a big issue in many women’s careers, including my own.

I’ve seen men around me exude confidence - and land promotions - while my own self-deprecating style and rampant self-doubt have hurt me. But trying to be ‘that guy’ starts the who-do-you-think-you-are? voice inside my head.

In this show we re-visit some concepts I first discussed on the podcast four years ago, and include some reflections that didn’t make it into that show.

My guests are Denise Barreto, a Chicago business owner whose confidence I admire, and NPR reporter and podcast host Stacey Vanek Smith who despite a brilliant career shares a lot of my hangups. She has to psych herself up to ask for things at work, because she's not quite sure she deserves it - but she says you can use that discomfort to your advantage.  

You can also read a transcript of the show.